Harriet O’Brien is an award-winning author, freelance travel writer and
contributing editor to Conde Nast Traveller magazine. Her work has taken her
from Amsterdam to Amritsar, Belgium to Burma and of course numerous
destinations in Britain. She lives in the Cotswolds – which she says ‘ranks
in my top five most beautiful places in the world’.

An Italianate country house with contemporary-cool interior styling, Cowley Manor has dreamy and extensive grounds. The icing on the cake is the exceptional C-side spa with two swimming pools.

Just a 10-minute drive from Cheltenham, Cowley Manor sits in 55 acres of sweeping parkland. The outlook from the public areas is spectacular and takes in a swan lake.

Style/character

8/10

Laid-back chic with wry details and funky flourishes, such as cowhide chair covers and bold chandeliers. Oversized papier-mâché animal-heads adorn the bar, and the large sitting room is decorated in a colourful palette of blues and greens.

Service

7/10

Staff are informal and chatty.

Rooms

8/10

Bright, airy and generously sized, the 30 bedrooms are graded from “Good” to “Best”. All bathrooms feature tubs and separate walk-in, rain-head showers.

Food and drink

7/10

The wood-panelled restaurant serves breakfast and dinner. In the evenings expect to pay around £40 (without wine) for three courses of modern British cuisine. The bar is large and wacky.

Spa

8/10

One of the first of the new breed of contemporary country house hotels to put their spa, C-side, at the heart of their offering. The glass-fronted building is a beautiful piece of modern design, sunk into a hill to one side. The treatments in the four rooms use the hotel’s own Green & Spring products, employing local natural products. There are indoor and outdoor pools and a dedicated manicure and pedicure area, gym, steam room and sauna.

Value for money

7/10

The “Good” rooms are well priced but availability at the lowest rate is limited. Breakfast and wi-fi access are included in the standard room rate.

Access for guests with disabilities?

There is wheelchair access to most public areas on the ground floor.

Family-friendly?

The grounds are a particular joy for younger visitors; the restaurant offers a special child’s menu; several of the rooms can be set up with extra beds for families (one in the Stable Block, four in the main house).